Sarah Conley Hawkins has landed her dream job in Washington DC. She quits her job at a paper in Atlanta and breaks up with her live-in boyfriend. As she is celebrating her last day in Atlanta, she finds out the company she would be working for has folded. Since Conley has no ties to Atlanta any longer, she packs up and moves home to her small town in Florida. There she gets roped into helping her sister in the family newspaper. When she comes upon an automobile accident that took the life of a beloved congressman, Conley finds herself embroiled in a national news story that could bring all her dreams of big city success to fruition. But through in family drama and an old (male) friend, life isn’t as easy as it sounds.

Mary Kay Andrews never disappoints! Her stories are wonderfully engaging and this book is no exception! I read this very quickly because the characters are so well developed and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the small town of Silver Bay. This is a wonderfully representative, sweet Southern story and I am adding this to the list of many titles I will recommend to friends for fun/lighthearted Beach type reads!

Mary Kay Andrews, NEVER disappoints!Ive read all of her novels. Great read during this quarantine time! A great escape , Such believable characters. This novel had romance, mystery, family drama. Conley who is a reporter comes back to her roots and rediscovers all that she’s always loved and builds her relationship with her sister. Great Novel!

Hello Summer refers to a decades old column in a family newspaper Sarah Conley Hawkins must now return to in an effort get her career back on track. Conley as she prefers to be called views the ancient town gossip feature lacking in grammar as well as relevance. A late night drink with a neighborhood friend finds the on the scene just after a one car accident has claimed the life of a beloved representative of the district. As Conley begins to collect information about Symmes Robinette it becomes clear there is more under the surface and she’s just the reporter it uncover the details. Conley indeed pokes the bear much to the delight of her grandmother whose idea it was that she come and give her sister Grayson a hand at the paper. A paper that is steeped in tradition but behind in exposure and only sporadically digital. All that changes as the story unfolds and the locals come out to voice their opinions as these two take on the institution that was the good Symmes Robinette. They say you can’t go home again, but Ms Andrews gives that phrase a turn about.

If you are looking for a great summer read, this is it! Big town girl, lands back in her small hometown temporarily working for the family newspaper. Local story blows up and she is working in her element. The book has a bit of a love story, a bit of a mystery and lots of summer sunsets on the beach.

I truly enjoyed this story and was surprised by the twist at the end. Highly recommend adding this one to your summer reading list!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

I’m gonna do likes/dislikes for this one cause I’m a little conflicted and I hope writing this out helps me decide what to rate it.

What I liked:
✅ Great setting and small town vibes with quirky and interesting characters
✅ Felt like a true guilty pleasure read with lots of gossipy tidbits about the town residents in the form of a column in the local newspaper
✅ Decently engaging mystery that didn’t totally stump me but was interesting enough

What I disliked:
👎🏻 It was a brick like almost 600 pages and it really didn’t need to be, easily could’ve been 200 pages shorter and I don’t think a beach read should ever be over 300 pages. Go ahead and @ me, 340 max and I will die on this hill!
👎🏻 There was a lot of political stuff going on and no thank you, I get enough of that in real life
👎🏻Conley wasn’t the most endearing main character and I never felt fully connected or invested in her life
👎🏻 Many parts were super predictable and since it was longer than the Bible dragging it out did no one any favors
👎🏻 I wanted more romance and less whodunnit

Ok that did help, think I’m gonna give it a middle of the roadish ⭐️⭐️⭐️ and call it a day.

I just *loved* this book! I started reading it and could simply not put it down! This title had everything that I could want: it was engrossing, full of lively characters, had a great setting and just kept me turning the pages!!!
This author has the ability to grab the reader and keep them entertained with laughs, tears and love.
Definitely a must read and I thank you for having given me the opportunity to read this title prior to publication--it was a definite joy!

Mary Kay Andrews newest book, Hello, Summer, does not disappoint. Another great story with just enough plot twists to keep you quickly turning the pages to see what comes next! Love her characters and their southern charm. Don’t pass up reading this!

I have to admit, this was my first @marykayandrews book!! I had been told by my friends she's the queen of "beach reads". The description drew me in, and that cover!! Absolutely beautiful😍

I didn't know what to expect when starting it, was it romance? Was it mystery? Was it family issues? Yes,yes and yes!😅

This book provides a bit of scandal, bit of mystery, small town gossip and small town drama ( pretty much everything I want in a book!!!)

The characters are perfect for a small town ( I am from and live in one 😅). She perfectly depicts small town living. She's is also absolutely amazing at weaving all the story lines together and it work. Not a lot of authors are able to do that.

Needless to say I will be looking for more of her novels to add to my list!
Thank you to @netgalley and #stmartainspress
for giving me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cold sweet watermelon, emerald green fields of corn, 98% humidity and horseflies all mean summer to me. The best indicator of summer, though, is a brand new Mary Kay Andrews novel!

I love knowing exactly what I'm going to get with an Andrews novel: sassy, strong female characters, a mystery, some romance, family drama, strong female friendships and lots of Southern flavor mixed in. Predictable, however, doesn't mean boring! It means comfort....like a pimento cheese sandwich and potato chips...or whatever your comfort food is!

Sarah Conley Hawkins is leaving behind her reporting job at The Atlanta Constitution for a digital media job in Washington DC. Before her farewell party has wrapped, she receives a text from her sister stating her new employer is bankrupt, busted, closed.

She's all packed so she heads to Silver Bay, Florida, her hometown, where nothing ever happens. She wants to check in on her 'G-mama' Lorraine, hang out on the beach, and job hunt, maybe in that order. She has zero intentions of working at the family business, a weekly newspaper, the Silver Bay Beacon. But G-mama is formidable and soon convinces her to help out the struggling paper by re-writing Rowena Miegs" society column, Hello Summer. Rowena is a fixture at the paper but often isn't politically or culturally sensitive in her writing.

Working at the paper means older sister Grayson is her boss, which does not help their strained relationship.

When a beloved local politician is killed in a fiery, late night one car accident, Conley and the rest of the staff are soon reporting a juicy story of mystery, family drama and political intrigue....and maybe murder? Will Conley's investigation and reporting alienate their readership or breathe new life into the beleaguered newspaper?

This story was fast paced fun and while she is known for her 'beach reads' there is always more complexity than that label implies. Mary Kay Andrews is here, so it is officially "Hello Summer." Excuse me while I pour some iced tea and make a pimiento cheese sandwich.

Thank you to NetGalley, Mary Kay Andrews and St. Martin's Press for the complimentary digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

So I can’t believe this is my first Mary Kay Andrews book. And I can tell you it definitely will not be my last.

I did feel that this book was a little too long. I felt in the beginning it picked up quite quickly, then it kind of died down some and maybe dragged a little. However the ending was fabulous! I loved how descriptive it was, it felt like you were watching a movie. I loved all the characters and I even loved the sibling rivalry.

So don’t be like me and wait forever to pick up one of her books. Do you self a favor and pick one up now! If you love Good beach reads you will love hers!

In a small town in the Florida Panhandle, two sisters are working hard to keep their family-owned weekly newspaper afloat, an almost impossible task in today's world. When a local politician is killed in a suspicious one-car crash, there is plenty of drama and intrigue to give the paper plenty to write about! But not everyone is thrilled with all of their investigative reporting. Small towns and big drama don't always mix! I love Mary Kay Andrews' books and this one did not disappoint. Life isn't always neat and tidy, and neither was certain parts of this book, but I'm totally okay with that. This book is easy to read but will keep your attention while you do, something we all need right now! A perfect summer read that I highly recommend to all MKA fans.

Mary Kay Andrews wrote the most perfect summer book (and the most perfect quarantine book). It has characters with depth, the main character is a bit jaded (as investigative journalists are wont to be), but she's likable. This book has all you need for a fun and thrilling read- family drama, a political coverup, stalkers, and a little romance as well.

I have read every word Mary Kay Andrews has written, and she just keeps getting better and better. I've never been so thankful for a book as I was for Hello, Summer.

I love books by Mary Kay Andrews! I can always count on a quick light read that I usually cannot put down. She never disappoints!

This read was a bit of mystery, mixed with scandal and lots of small town drama. Of course, the characters fit the story line perfectly.

Conley Hawkins hates her going away party. She had worked at the Atlanta journal constitution. Butch had been her office husband. Kevin was upset because they had been living together. She is now going to d.c. to work. Conley's sister is Grayson. Her sisters runs the family newspaper in florida.when Conley's d.c. job falls apart she has to regroup. She plans to go home to Florida and send out her resume.Conleys first name is Sarah.Conley may need to give working at the family newspaper a chance. I really liked Conley and Sean Kelly.

Mary Key Andrews is one of my favorite authors and this one did not disappoint ! She strayed a little father south in this one, all the way down to Florida. Hometown girl returns home with her tail between her legs, out of a job, no home, no boyfriend then finds herself engulfed in secrets, gossip, and the biggest news story of her career. Characters you will love, this is a great summer read that you will not want to put down. #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

THank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC.
I love readying books by Mary Kay Andrews.

I love the small town, family newspaper business and close knit family story. Along with romance, mystery, dysfunctional families and humor.

4.5 stars

I love MKA and have read all her books, and I know that I say this every summer, but she just gets better and better with every book. I loved Hello, Summer and especially loved the characters: successful news reporter Conley Hawkins, who has had to return home to Florida after finding out her new job just fell through, her sassy but sweet grandmother, and older sister and editor of the family's struggling newspaper, The Silver Bay Beacon, Grayson. They're all strong women, likable, and smart.

When Conley witnesses an accident that leads to the death of a local and beloved Senator, she can't help but itch to write the story even if it means writing for a tiny newspaper with her sister as her boss. But the more Conley investigates into the senator's life, the more she finds out that he wasn't the man he presented himself to be to his constituents and the accident might have been murder. As she gets closer to the truth, her own life might be in danger.

While this might be the perfect beach read, be prepared for the perfect mix of mystery, romance, and southern charm. No one can write southern fiction like MKA, and Hello, Summer is not to be missed!

Thank you NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for the advanced reader's copy. All opinions are my own.

Different that her usual early summer beach reads. The story is reminiscent of her cleaning lady Callahan suspense novels and its a welcome surprise! Light on the romance, heavier on political corruption and family drama is still makes for an intoxicating beach read.

More like this please!!!

Summer can officially begin once there is a new Mary Kay Andrews, and this delivers all of the expected vibes and engaging story that I expect from this longtime popular author. While this book was a little too long, the author added enough secondary story lines to carry the plot lines through the extra pages. The back half of the book actually contains some of the more compelling parts of the story. While "beach reading" this summer will probably look a little different, this is the perfect book to engage in for long summer days.